Smart Rural 21 aims to support and inspire rural regions in the EU to develop and implement approaches and strategies for Smart Villages. A range of innovative Smart Village tools and resources will be developed and made available to all local actors in rural areas. Smart Rural 21 supports 17 selected rural communities in Europe with direct technical and organisational advice to develop a Smart Village strategy adapted to local conditions and to take the first steps towards implementation. Two rural communities will be supported in the full implementation of their Smart Village strategy. empirica’s task is to advise selected regions on the planning and implementation of digital solutions in the field of public services. The project will develop detailed recommendations and approaches for future policy interventions for Smart Villages and discuss them with decision makers. This will include advice on the design and introduction of programmes (especially within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy and EU Structural Policy) that support the implementation of Smart Village approaches.